WW II Veteran Neil Van Ausdal, at 88, Among Youngest on Last Week's Honor Flight

Leo Neil Van Ausdal, a lifelong Santaquin resident, born a half block away from where he and wife, Jeannine, now live, thoroughly enjoyed his Honor Flight experience last week.  Check out this week's edition of The Payson Chronicle for story and additional photos taken during his memorable trip to Washington, D.C.

Pictured: Leo Neil Van Ausdal with his son-in-law Guy Walker, a Viet Nam War Veteran  (Photo courtesy Sheil Walker)

Meet "The People in Our Neighborhood"

Join The Payson Chronicle soon when we feature “The People in Our Neighborhood,” stories and photographs depicting the lives of folks from our local community.  Pictured here is Mr. Jay Lerwill, who has spent a lifetime working hard to support his family, and doing it his own way. He is holding a Panorama newspaper clipping featuring one such job, on horseback, an ideal role for a cowboy at heart.  We’ll share his unique story first.

If you have a suggestion for a future feature, we’d love to hear from you.  Send us their name, contact information, and a brief description to paysonchronicle@gmail.com, and they too could be among “The People in Our Neighborhood” whose story will be shared.

Good Old Days: Truly Feisty

By Mildred Olson

She was an elderly widow. She had a heart problem that no one would consider debilitating, had high blood pressure, and other less serious health problems. But, boy, she was feisty. Truly feisty! And that, coupled with ESP, she taught a few dishonest men not to cross her.

She owned a small herd of sheep that, with a permit, were summer grazing in the mountains. When it came time to bring them down, most of them were missing. She contacted the sheriff and directed him to another herd, where he would find her missing sheep. The thief—call him what he was—was confronted and denied having any of her sheep. She considered him truly stupid and so did the sheriff. The fellow had sloppily put his brand over hers. Her brand was quite visible. She got all of her sheep back.

Another day. Another time.

Her hired workers had cut the hay and loaded it on the wagon. Being late afternoon, they unhitched the horses and just left the loaded wagon in the field. Early the next morning, they harnessed the team and went to unload the hay. The wagon was gone. So was the hay.

They hurriedly reported to her the hay was missing. She advised them to jump in her old Model T Ford and, holding the harnessed work horses on on each side of the Ford, they were off. She drove directly to a farm, where her loaded hay wagon sat near the farmer's barn. They hitched the horses to her wagon with the freshly cut hay and returned it to her farm. She chuckled all the way back.

Recalling these experiences, and there were many others, she decided that a man who would lie and steal from a widow wasn't much of a man.

As years crawled by, she related some of these experiences to her grandchildren, always adding, they were good old days when you didn't have to hire expensive attorneys or detectives. You just did it on your own.

The Good Work of Tabitha’s Way Shared at Lions Club Meeting

Joining Payson Lions at the Peteetneet last night was guest speaker, Wendy Osborne (pictured, center), who started Tabitha's Way, a non-profit, Christian-based mercy ministry located in Spanish Fork, in 2010.  She is photographed here with Valarie Bailey (left) and Sandy Huff, Lions Club Second Vice-President, both of whom work with the volunteer team at Tabitha’s Way, helping to provide the basic needs for over two thousand local residents each month.  

With “we serve” an integral part of their motto, Payson Lions Club members were in perfect company with Wendy Osborne serving as guest speaker at their Thursday night meeting.  Joined by her husband and partner, Jody Osborne, the founder of Tabitha’s Way Thrift Store and Food Pantry discussed the good work provided here to people in need throughout southern Utah County.

Two years into this generation’s great recession, Wendy responded to the growing crisis she witnessed in the local area as well as a calling from God, she said, and opened the thrift store in Spanish Fork.  She quit a comfortable job in telecommunications and got to work to build a charity to reflect the work of Tabitha of the New Testament after whom the charity is named.  In the Book of Acts, Tabitha is venerated for having looked after those without.

Since 2010, Tabitha’s Way has been caring for those without in our day through contributions that are continually sought and received from generous individuals and businesses.  It operates as a non-profit Christian-based mercy ministry.  Never basing the support provided to merit or desert, according to Wendy, no one is turned away.

Tabitha’s Way is located at 140 North Main Street, a place where these contributions can be made, from food to clothes, can be made, items can be purchased affordably, and the needs of those who cannot afford to buy them can be met. Purchases made by the public at the thrift store provide a financial basis for the charity to operate and continue to serve the public.  For those who cannot afford to buy basic needs: clothing, blankets, hygiene items, for instance.

The ministry brings much relief to parents and their children in need of new school clothes each fall, too, when there are too few funds in the household to buy them. Supplies for the youngsters are made available also, when each year donations are gathered from businesses and residents, and backpacks are stuffed and made ready for youth who might begin the new school year with very little.

A new clothing recycling program kicked off this year, which Wendy and Jody Osborne discussed with Payson Lions to some extent.  It is a complex system that makes the most out of every contribution and makes contribution more accessible throughout the surrounding communities. Sturdy donation receptacles can be found locally on Main Street in Santaquin, in the Payson Junior High School Parking lot, at Payson’s One Man Band, and Liberty Academy in Elk Ridge, to name only a few.

Tabitha’s Way not only supplies and clothes the needy.  Feeding the hungry is yet another need they meet, and in numbers that now exceed 2,000 monthly.  Meals are provided through pantry donations to hungry individuals and families. Dinners are hosted on special occasions throughout the year, including a Christmas meal that is well attended and enjoyed by people who reside in the area.

Volunteer effort is integral to Tabitha’s Way operations.  Two such volunteers were part of last Thursday’s Lions Club discussion, Sandy Huff, Payson Lions Club Second Vice-President, and special guest, Valarie Bailey. Wendy noted her gratitude for their efforts at last week’s meeting, as well as her respect for the service-oriented position the Lions Club shares with Tabitha’s Way.

Observe National Museum Day at the Peteetneet

The public is invited to come to the Peteetneet Museum & Cultural Arts Center on September 27 in honor of National Museum Day.  Museum doors will be open from 11 AM until 3 PM that day. The Peteetneet is located at 10 South 600 East, Payson.

Art & Flower Show Directors Report Results

Alice and Curtis Heslop (left-right), Onion Days Flower, Art, and Photography Show Co-directors, were excited when they spoke with The Payson Chronicle about the results of this year’s shows, held at the Peteetneet Museum and Cultural Arts Center in Payson.  They were grateful, too, for the continued support from others like them whose efforts have etched these exhibitions into the proud tradition they are today among family and friends in the community.

2014 FLOWER SHOW WINNERS

104 Total Flower Entries

16 Youth Flower Entries

Queen of the Show – Large Flower Arrangement – by Helen Kester

Theme Arrangement

1st place – Helen Kester

2nd place – Cynthia Dixon

3rd place – Marian Wilson

Golden Onion Arrangement

1st place – Helen Kester

Roses – Single Specimen Honorable Mention:

1st place – Dixie Rouse

2nd place – Annalyn Greer

3rd place – Shae Walker

Honorable Mention: Kristine Palmer

Roses – 3 of a Kind

1st place – Peteetneet

2nd place – Amber Woodland

3rd place – Rockie Henderson

Honorable Mention: Sue Ellen Henderson

Honorable Mention: Dixie Rouse

Rose Display

1st place – Helen Kester

Marigold – Specimen

1st place – Peteetneet

2nd place – Carol Norman

3rd place – Colleen Wilson

Marigold – 3 of a Kind

1st place – Jessica Root

2nd place – May Wilson

3rd place – Helen Kester

Honorable Mention: Colleen Wilson

Marigold Display

1st place – Cat Vasquez

2nd place – April Jones

3rd place – May Wilson

Honorable Mention: Phyllis Peterson

Dahlia – Specimen

1st place – LaMar Wilson

2nd place – Mark Spencer

3rd place – Helen Kester

Honorable Mention: May Wilson

Honorable Mention: Carol Norman

Dahlia – 3 of a Kind

1st place – May Wilson

2nd place – Mark Spencer

3rd place – Helen Kester

Dahlia – Display

1st place – Mark Spencer

Zinnia – Specimen

1st place – Helen Kester

2nd place – Lori Muir

Zinnia – 3 of a Kind

1st place – Jay Peterson

2nd place – Helen Kester

3rd place – Lori Muir

Zinnia – Display

1st place – Helen Kester

2nd place – Lori Muir

3rd place – Don Dixon

Aster – Specimen

1st place – Helen Kester

2nd place – Lori Muir

Aster – 3 of a Kind

1st place – Helen Kester

Aster – Display

1st place – Helen Kester

Miniature Arrangement

1st place – Lois Rae Pulver

2nd place – Dixie Rouse

3rd place – Helen Kester

Small Arrangement-Live Flowers

1st place – Lacey Walker

2nd place – Helen Kester

3rd place – Amber Woodland

Honorable Mention: Lois Rae Pulver

Honorable Mention: Helen Kester

Honorable Mention: Dixie Rouse

Medium Arrangement-Live Flowers

1st place – Ray Wilson

2nd place – Colleen Wilson

3rd place – Dixie Rouse

Large Arrangement-Live Flowers

1st place – Helen Kester

2nd place – Cynthia Dixon

3rd place – Phyllis Peterson

Honorable Mention: Cat Vasquez

Honorable Mention: May Wilson

Small Arrangement-Artificial/Dried Flowers

1st place – Marian Wilson

2nd place – Marian Wilson

3rd place – Dixie Rouse

Large Arrangement-Artificial/Dried Flowers

1st place – Marian Wilson

2nd place – Colleen Wilson

Honorable Mention: Marian Wilson

Honorable Mention: Marian Wilson

Junior Small Flower Arrangement

1st place – Addie O’Bryant

2nd place – Sophia Lester

Honorable Mention: Jacey Muir

Honorable Mention: Kira Muir

Junior Fruits and Vegetables

1st place – Jakenzie Jones

2nd place – Charley Jones

3rd place – Breanne Downey

Honorable Mention: Aurie

Honorable Mention: Jullian O’Braynt

Honorable Mention: Ivan O’Bryant

Honorable Mention: Makaylie Jones

Honorable Mention: Xander Smith

Biggest Onion (K – 6th Grade)

1st place – Ashley Spencer

2nd place – Aubrie Spencer

3rd place – Lily Spencer

Biggest Onion (7th – 9th Grade)

1st place – Tagen Spencer

Biggest Onion (Adult)

1st place – Coinny Taylor – “OVERALL BIGGEST ONION”

2nd place – Sherman Zeeman

ART SHOW WINNERS

119 Total Art Entries

46 Total Youth Art Entries

Best of Show (Photography): Cody Hoagland, “Out of the Mist”

Best of Show (Professional): Douglas Aagard, “Winrow”

Best of Show (Amateur): Ross Huff, “Cuttin’ it Close”

3-Dimensional (Elementary Art)

1st place – Abbegail Dillingham, “Doodads”

2nd place – Kyle Dillingham, Diamond Iper Blue”

Drawings (Elementary Art)

1st place – MaKaylie Jones, “Zumina”

2nd place – JaKenzie Jones, “Tucan”

3rd place – JaKenzie Jones, “Roses”

Paintings (Elementary Art)

1st place – Catay Bean, “Circles”

2nd place – Ender Numan, “Iron Man”

3rd place – Jacey Muir, “Nature Leaves”

3-Dimensional (Junior Art)

1st place – Madison Heaton, “Peace Out”

Drawings (Junior Art)

1st place – Jessica Taylor, “Collage”

2nd place – Ellie Sorensen, “Boots”

3rd place – Jessica Taylor, “Robin Williams

3rd place – Lindsey Welton, “Girl with Camo Headband”

Paintings (Junior Art)

1st place – Jessica Taylor, “The Sacred Grove”

2nd place – Ellie Sorensen, “Carolyn”

3rd place – Jarrett Jones, “Dragon”

3-Dimensional (Senior Art)

1st place – Perla Barreda, “Undefined Faces”

Drawings (Senior Art)

1st place – Kennedy Aagard, “Serious”

2nd place – Mason Cloud

3rd place – Clayton Peterson, “TMNT”

Honorable Mention: Amelia Wolf, “Teenage Drama”

Paintings (Senior Art)

1st place – Perla Barreda, “In the Eyes of a Mother”

2nd place – Perla Barreda, “Celestial Cruises”

3rd place – Hannah Wheelwright, “Color Toxic”

3-Dimensional (Adult Amateur)

BEST OF SHOW – Ross Huff, “Cuttin’ it Close”

1st place – Eugene Pulver, “Handmade Necklace”

2nd place – Catrina Jones, “Squid”

3rd place – Duke Jacobs, “Chainmail Coif”

Honorable Mention: Stan Lance, “Dream Catcher”

Drawings (Adult Amateur)

1st place – Stan Lance, “Tiger

2nd place – Kristy Woodhouse, “Elk Home”

3rd place – Stan Lance, “Elephants”

Honorable Mention: Megan Keele, “At the Circus”

Paintings (Adult Amateur)

1st place – Tracy Eliason, “Lompoc”

2nd place – Kristy Woodhouse, “Big Red”

2nd place – Amberlie Whitesell

3rd place – Elenor Haskell, “Olden Days”

Paintings (Adult Amateur) Portrait Catagory

1st place – Rose Nyman, “Ancestors”

2nd place – Rose Nyman, “George Hone”

3rd place – Carol Downey, “Blake”

Paintings (Adult Amateur) Watercolor Category

1st place – Carmela Cueva, “El Patio Escondito”

2nd place – Maureen Thulin, “Slate Canyon”

3rd place – Carmela Cueva, “La Puerta de Sol”

“Encaustic Wax”

Drawings (Professional)

1st place – Jake Jones, “Right Hand Man”

2nd place – Jake Jones, “Billy”

Paintings (Professional)

BEST OF SHOW, Douglas Aagard, “Shadow over Winrow”

1st place – Ryan Jones, “Ayita”

2nd place – Barbara Ward

3rd place – Brian Winget, “Father Christmas”

Honorable Mention: Brian Winget, “Mona Lisa”

Photography (Junior Youth)

1st place – Tyler Peterson, “Fruitloop Necklace”

Honorable Mention: Kyle Lott, “Line of Duty”

Photography (Senior Youth)

1st place – Emilie Mott

2nd place – Emilie Mott, “Look to the Sky”

3rd place – Kyle Lott, “Weed or Beautiful”

Honorable Mention: Mathew Palmer, “Leather Leaf”

Photography (Amateur) Portrait Category

1st place – Kramer Schramm, “Classy Punk”

Photography (Amateur)

1st place – David Hancock, “Memorial Day”

2nd place – Cody Hoagland, “Fighting”

3rd place – Emilie Mott, “A Jarring Experience”

Honorable Mention: Brad Adams, “Tree Skeleton”

1st place – Jennifer Carter, “Krishna Temple Sunset”

3rd place – John Langdon, “Storm Clouds”

Honorable Mention: Stephanie Mott, “Koolina Beach”

1st place – David Hancock, “Heber Valley”

2nd place – Kim A.

3rd place – Daralyn Smith, “Wasatch”

Honorable Mention: John Langdon,

Honorable Mention: Valerie Mott, “2 Zebras”

1st place – Jennifer Carter, “Light Bulb”

2nd place – Sydne Gladding, “Rusty Leaf”

3rd place – Gloria Pasko, “Mesa Falls”

Honorable Mention: Sydne Gladding, “Rusty Car”

1st place – Ryan Carter, “Horse and Girl”

2nd place – Kim Ashby, “Fading Frontier”

Photography (Professional)

1st place – Jon Mott, “Camden Lock”

2nd place – D. Ray Palmer, “Old Snag”

2nd place – Wade Haskell, “Payson Utah Temple”

3rd place – Alisha Peterson, “Festival of Colors”

Photography (Adult Amateur)

Best of Show (Overall): Cody Hoagland, “Out of the Mist”

September 2014

I want to extend a thank you to all the strong followers of the Payson Onion Days Flower and Art Show. Because of you—those that enter, judge, attend, donate, and support the show, enjoy great success.

The committee wants to express their thanks, for the donations of the beautiful prizes, to the following businesses and individuals: (A big list of supporters)!!!

James Box Family Karen’s Floral Payson Trophy & Awards

Ron & LaVern Crump Neeley Kay Lois Pulver

Dairy Queen Helen Kester Jose Solorzano

Joe & Sandy Dinkins Andra Lazenby Mark & Jana Spencer

Dora Edvalson Patty Long Stadium Cinemas

Ranae Ellsworth McDonald’s Taco Bell

Bernell & Marianne Evans Tony Mlinaric Vasquez Catering Lori

Hillman Family Morganson’s Quilt & Frame Helen Walker Family

Barbara Jex Olson’s Garden Shoppe Wells Fargo

Karen’s Calligraphy & Art Kathy O’Bryant La Mar & May Wilson

Elaine Openshaw Marian Wilson

Aaron Jones and Olson’s Garden Shoppe employees deserve a big thank you for judging the Art portion of the show and the Flower Show; respectively; and our three photography judges; and a special thank you to Kristen Grimshaw; and Chase Radmall and Kambria Helvey who performed on the piano and cello during the Sunday and Monday afternoon portions of the show.

A big thank-you for all those city employees and Peteetneet volunteer workers who helped out during the weekend and specifically; Janean Dean, Cheryl Hobbs, Candice Hope and Matt, and my best friend, Paula Stevens. A bigger thank-you for Ryan and April Jones, and Dodd and Annalyn Greer who helped do the Art and Photography sections of the show; and to my dear husband and best friend, Curtis Heslop. Without everyone’s help, the Art and Flower Show just couldn’t happen!

Hope you join us next year for the 60th Anniversary!

Alice J. Heslop